Top News:
Steven Perlberg / Insider:
Sources: Substack has approached NYT writers including Liz Bruenig, who was offered a $200K advance, double her salary, and Taylor Lorenz, who was offered $300K — - The New York Times is readying a newsletter push as Substack comes after top journalists. — Substack offered opinion …
Discussion:
@perlberg, @lpolgreen, @perlberg, @swodinsky, @matthewstoller, @jbenton, @gaberivera, @rkylesmith, @fka_tabs, @steakscience, @swodinsky, @mtaibbi, @mattgertz, @yashar, @ggreenwald, @mathewi, @adriana_lacy, @davidsirota, @nickdeplume, @mlcalderone, @bariweiss, @swodinsky, @willoremus, @davidastinwalsh, @annierothnews, @genepark, @s_m_i, @labuzamovies, @ryanlizza, @lionel_trolling, @champagnesharks, @nberlat, @ruthbenghiat, @jakebackpack, @carnage4life, @oliverdarcy, @willoremus, @mathewi, @craigcalcaterra, @shoton35mm, @akaautonomy, @mathewi, @thrasherxy, @jbenton, @smc90, @keithrhernandez, @lollardfish, @seangriffey, @patrickmcgee_, @eliotwb, @danprimack, @davidsirota, @swodinsky, @jakebackpack, @mayalau, @alicefromqueens, @razibkhan, @natsfert, @mattyglesias, Mediaite, The Wrap and Residuum
Discussion:
Steven Perlberg / @perlberg: The New York Times is readying a big push for in house, personality-driven newsletters, as Substack courts its writers. Substack offered @ebruenig a $200,000 advance, double her Times salary, according to a source familiar with the matter! https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Lydia Polgreen / @lpolgreen: Students of NYT history will remember Times Select, the first foray into digital subscriptions in 2005, which put the op ed columnists and a few other things behind a paywall. It lasted two years. In 2011 the full paywall launched & changed media history. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Steven Perlberg / @perlberg: One of the writers in talks to do an in-house newsletter at the Times is @TaylorLorenz, who also received an offer from Substack of a $300,000 advance https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@swodinsky: the only way i can participate in The Discourse rn is from a historical/economic pov, otherwise i'm literally sobbing on the subway while thinking abt The Commodification of Personality
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: Guild minimums (for @nytimes and others) here: https://newsguild.org/9027-2/ NYT $100k Guardian $96k WSJ $73k (which has always struck me as low!) Boston Globe $72k AP $68k Philly Inq $66k
Gabe Rivera / @gaberivera: Rule of thumb for writers here: your Substack advance = the number of times you've been retweeted in the past year when fighting other high-profile people on Twitter.
Kyle Smith / @rkylesmith: The Substackification of everything continues! Read more about it on my Substack https://twitter.com/...
Rusty / @fka_tabs: @samdolnick @Adampasick I could totally be poached from Substack, just gonna put that out there https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Nirawit Jittipairoj / @steakscience: The best thing about Substack is that it might kill the NYT editorial board which would actually make the NYT a better publication https://twitter.com/...
@swodinsky: legitimately happy for all the ppl getting offers rn (they deserve it!!!!) but when u spend most of ur life being Deeply Unpopular it feels super weird having ur Popularity dictate ur Upward Mobility to a certain extent and,,,,,, brings a lot of trauma roaring back? idk
Matt Taibbi / @mtaibbi: Strategywise, this move by the @nytimes could turn weird fast. Happy for @ebruenig tho https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: Uh wow. The Leonhardt newsletter has more subscribers than anyone on Substack by a huge amount. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Yashar Ali / @yashar: Per @perlberg's story, both Taylor Lorenz and Liz Bruenig were offered six-figure advances by Substack to leave the New York Times. https://twitter.com/...
Glenn Greenwald / @ggreenwald: So funny: it's the same exact cycle as what happened when blogs first appeared and started becoming popular: corporate media outlets mocked & scorned it, then fought it, then copied it and hired the bloggers to run their blogs. But what they can't still offer is independence: https://twitter.com/...
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: I remember this well because the newspaper where I worked put up a paywall around its columnists and opinion as well, and my readership dropped by an order of magnitude. So I started blogging instead, because blogs weren't behind a paywall https://twitter.com/...
Adriana Lacy / @adriana_lacy: someone plz hire me to write a newsletter bc this money is just silly lol https://twitter.com/...
David Sirota / @davidsirota: The hilarious part of this is that corporate media elites have convinced themselves Substacks are popular only because of email. They don't wanna admit independent writers are popular because they are independent & producing content that does not conform to elite media orthodoxy. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Nicholas Ciarelli / @nickdeplume: “There are about 70 Times newsletters, reaching a total of 28 million subscribers, according to the Friday memo.” https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Michael Calderone / @mlcalderone: My contribution when the wall came down: “Times Columnists Dance on TimesSelect Grave” https://observer.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Bari Weiss / @bariweiss: She's worth way more https://twitter.com/...
@swodinsky: anyway feels good knowing journos were reckoning w this back when i was in elementary school. shit's literally as old as digital media itself https://digiday.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Will Oremus / @willoremus: I should have worded the first tweet better. Of course news orgs should try to keep their top writers. Just think competing w/ Substack on salary might be misguided (and it's not clear they're doing that). They can compete on other dimensions. https://twitter.com/...
@davidastinwalsh: *sips coffee* How long until Substack collapses? Because this is some Ponzi scheme-level behavior here. https://twitter.com/...
Annie Roth / @annierothnews: Hey @NYTScience, if you want a newsletter focused on animal science, conservation, and welfare I am available. https://twitter.com/...
Gene Park / @genepark: i'll just say it. i'm not convinced substack knows what it's doing. https://twitter.com/...
Stacy-Marie Ishmael / @s_m_i: @KeithRHernandez wow deep cut
Peter Labuza / @labuzamovies: I'd actually love to see the numbers of who would cancel their Times subscription because a certain columnist wasn't there. Is it really so critical to the paper's bottom line? The good columnists are a bonus not the point. https://twitter.com/...
@champagnesharks: This is how everything from blogs to podcasts to newsletters get ruined. All these so-called democratizing movements just end up being coopted by big money. A blog now is just the less formal strictly online part of a big newspaper and the top 50 pods are by huge orgs https://twitter.com/...
Noah Berlatsky / @nberlat: welp. sort of reiterates that opinion journalism at least follows the model of the other arts; handful of very high earners and everybody else's income plummeting. https://twitter.com/...
Ruth Ben-Ghiat / @ruthbenghiat: Coverage of #substack has focused on financial arrangements offered to journalists & counter-moves of big publications and platforms. This shines light on media industry changes but newsletters raise interesting issues of engagement, credibility, audience for all authors. https://twitter.com/...
Jacob Bacharach / @jakebackpack: God bless any writer who can scam some payola while the scamming is good, but this is completely unscalable. What a case study it's gonna be when it all collapses in on itself. How many $5/month single-writer subscriptions can any one individual support? This is a MLM scheme! https://twitter.com/...
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: @WillOremus @nytimes Was your suggestion that given the choice between holding on to their best talent and paying them more or losing their most lucrative writers to a publishing platform, they should do the latter? Why would any publisher do that?
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: “Because these sites are increasingly acting as direct competitors to The Times, such efforts will generally not be approved. Times colleagues who are interested in starting a newsletter should first explore doing it on our own platform...” https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Will Oremus / @willoremus: I do get why the NYT would fight to keep @TaylorLorenz in particular, though. I imagine it would cost at *least* $300k to take down the giant billboard of her face from the front of their office building. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: Clearly what journalism needs right now is a whole NBA-style structure with free agency, salary cap, etc. Also, brackets https://twitter.com/...
Craig Calcaterra / @craigcalcaterra: NYT gonna help their writers build up a cool, personal, relatable brand with a loyal core readership to make it even easier for them to then leave and start their own thing. https://twitter.com/...
Lexis-Olivier Ray / @shoton35mm: If anyone wants to pay me $300,000/yr to write a “personality-driven newsletter” I'm down. https://twitter.com/...
@akaautonomy: You can't compare blogging platforms to substack. Blogs were literally open to anyone and did not payout. Substack is a heavily VC-funded company. It's not independent writers vs corporate media, it's venture media vs corporate media. And you're the betting chip. https://twitter.com/...
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: NYT says it has “been fielding requests from employees wishing to launch their own newsletters on platforms like Substack and Twitter's Revue. Because these sites are increasingly acting as direct competitors, such efforts will generally not be approved” https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Dr. Steven W. Thrasher / @thrasherxy: Let her leave the Times. I'll take her place for a paltry $100K. I'm a Christian, too—though one given to the homosexual persuasion and generally a bit nicer than Bruenig. https://twitter.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: I'm just gonna say I am extremely doubtful that @ebruenig's salary at @nytimes is only $100,000. $100k is the guild minimum for a Times reporter with 2 years' experience! You don't pay an opinion columnist that. If I'm somehow wrong: Liz, renegotiate! https://www.businessinsider.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Sonal Chokshi / @smc90: BUT WHO OWNS THE LIST?! that is the only question that matters https://twitter.com/...
Keith Hernandez / @keithrhernandez: Reaching real “I have joined Fusion” levels https://twitter.com/...
David M. Perry / @lollardfish: It's interesting to me that the substack and alternatives conversation has mostly ignored @revue. For the record, I am open to a significant Revue advance to launch my newsletter about soup, naps, cheese, and fishing. https://twitter.com/...
Sean Griffey / @seangriffey: I wish I had something more pithy to say about a potential NYT vs. Substack feud but not feeling very creative. I will say this, the NYT will be fine. Not sure I believe that about Substack long-term. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Patrick McGee / @patrickmcgee_: @mediagazer @perlberg *checks spam folder*
Eliot Brown / @eliotwb: Substack just raised a bunch more money ... VC firms tend to push their consumer companies to spend VC money on supply growth ... i.e. ... one might expect more poaching to come https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Dan Primack / @danprimack: A marketing person in 2002 told me that they'd “done the research” and that the company wouldn't support me launching a newsletter. “No audience for more than one” in VC/tech/etc, and Venturewire already existed. Glad I ignored her. Bet she now has a Substack.
David Sirota / @davidsirota: I think there's a truth here: The email newsletter ecosystem is right now concentrating wealth, rather than spreading it to fund journalism. The @DailyPoster is different than most - we are a team of reporters offering multiple products. IMO, this is the future. https://twitter.com/...
@swodinsky: anyone who thinks substack's biz model is new should read this 2010 analysis of two lil known media orgs named [squint] yahoo and aol https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Jacob Bacharach / @jakebackpack: What if I told you that instead of spending a hundred bucks a year on two newspapers and four magazines, you could spend $600 a year on 10 guys who are all mad at the same 5 liberal arts colleges!
Maya Lau / @mayalau: My main takeaway is, I can't believe NYT pays some of its Opinion writers only $100k (!?!) https://twitter.com/...
Alice / @alicefromqueens: NYT still hell-bent on keeping Substack in the news. https://twitter.com/...
@razibkhan: so they think i'm going to pay for the rip-mask-off asshole takes on top of the subscript? HELL NO. stay your competency lane! :-) https://twitter.com/...
Natalie Fertig / @natsfert: Here's the thing. Independence isn't all it's cracked up to be. Yeah, sometimes your great stories get killed because you and your editor don't see it the same. But i would never want to give up having accountability and a second set of eyes/thoughts. That is so important. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: The inherent difficulty with anything like this at the Times is they don't like their staffers to argue with each other. https://twitter.com/...
Marisa Sarnoff / Mediaite: Substack Offered NYT Reporter Taylor Lorenz $300,000: Report
J. Clara Chan / The Wrap: Substack Offered 6-Figure Advances to NY Times' Liz Bruenig, Taylor Lorenz (Report)
RELATED:
Will Oremus / Slate:
News outlets can respond to Substack poaching their best-known opinion writers by embracing more diverse perspectives in op-ed pages and by refocusing on news — This week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg granted a rare, live, hourlong interview to a tech journalist, where he revealed the company's plans for a slew of new audio products.
Discussion:
Insider, @oliverdarcy, @willoremus, @schandur, @janebsinger, @andyorin, @alex, @aaronmesh, @kegill, @willoremus, @stevekrak, @jayrosen_nyu, @elieraine, @dabeard, @aaschapiro, @blackamazon, @jmadelman, @ggreenwald, @williamturton, @elienyc and Jen the Libertarian
Discussion:
Steven Perlberg / Insider: The real people of Substack: 12 newsletter writers detail how much money they're making on the platform
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: “The challenge for news organizations will be less about how to fill the opinion pages, and more about how to sell subscriptions when their best-known writers are constantly tempted to strike out on their own,” @WillOremus writes. https://slate.com/...
Will Oremus / @willoremus: I wrote for @slate about big-name journalists going independent as the inevitable next phase of the unbundling of news from everything else that used to cross-subsidize it. What Craigslist did for classifieds, Substack is doing for columnists. https://slate.com/...
Sandeep Chandur / @schandur: Here's a far more radical idea: reduce or get rid of op-eds entirely https://twitter.com/...
Jane Singer / @janebsinger: Lured by editorial freedom, and maybe by the cash, well-known commentators who once wrote for legacy media are driving rapid rise of Substack. How might news orgs respond? Diversify their op-ed pages — and pitch their news coverage. https://slate.com/... @slate, h/t @NiemanLab
Andy Orin / @andyorin: I think this is obvious to anyone who has worked in journalism and yet not obvious to the people who uh own or fund the platforms https://twitter.com/...
@alex: at some pt everyone but me will have been offered a substack pro deal https://slate.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Aaron Mesh / @aaronmesh: I do not see any downside to a newspaper offloading its expensive roster of pundits. https://slate.com/...
@kegill: My heartburn: without editorial oversight, which is already lax on columns/op-eds, what happens to journalistic ethics, verification and a sense of fairness (accurate representation of research/data/quotes)? https://slate.com/...
Will Oremus / @willoremus: I wrote earlier today that news orgs would face a choice between competing with Substack to keep their biggest names, or letting them go. I suggested letting them go: https://slate.com/... Looks like the @nytimes just chose competing: https://www.businessinsider.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Steve Krakauer / @stevekrak: Haha they *can* but they definitely won't! https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: This by @WillOremus. Good analysis of how Substack, still quite small, might yet be a threat to the journalism bigs. https://slate.com/... Tip: the distinction between news and opinion cannot do all the work. Nor can confirmation bias. People get news from consuming opinion.
Elie / @elieraine: Read @WillOremus if you're curious about how Substack could pose an economic challenge for the news industry https://slate.com/...
David Beard / @dabeard: “In the long list of threats to the future of news, the rise of newsletters is probably not near the top.” Yet... https://slate.com/... @WillOremus @BGrueskin @HC_Richardson
Avi Asher-Schapiro / @aaschapiro: A key to understanding Substack's impact on the news is to recognize that the kind of journalism that tends to thrive there—so far, at least for the most part—is not actually news. It's commentary and analysis, aimed at the chattering classes. https://slate.com/...
@blackamazon: Substack believes al of local news is equal to three columnists . Journalism and News needs to publicly have the conversations it privately avoided with public feedback But it won't and is watching itself be disemboweled Possibly permanently https://twitter.com/...
Joseph M. Adelman / @jmadelman: Substack cares about having subscribers, not who subscribes, which is their right. My problem is I can't justify to myself spending $60 per year on *any* individual writer's work. https://twitter.com/...
Glenn Greenwald / @ggreenwald: The primary cope on which corporate journalists are now relying to demean and minimize Substack is it mostly only has opinion-writers and not those who do “real reporting.” No matter how times they repeat it, it won't become true, though may be soothing. https://slate.com/...
William Turton / @williamturton: Reporting is hard (and expensive) https://twitter.com/...
Charlie Warzel / Galaxy Brain:
Charlie Warzel says his Substack newsletter has steady growth, though Glenn Greenwald called its start “slow”, as some see it as a test case for ex-NYT writers
Discussion:
@ggreenwald, @germanrlopez, @tomscocca, @cwarzel, @cwarzel, @them_l_g, @jbouie, @rottenindenmark, @rottenindenmark, @msmacb, @lyzl, @dangillmor, @davidsirota, @ggreenwald, @davidsirota, @laurenlipsay, @ggreenwald, @laura_june, @delong, @sean_mcbeth, @nickstatt, @sean_mcbeth, @sean_mcbeth, @sean_mcbeth, @sean_mcbeth, @sean_mcbeth, @genepark, @kateaurthur, @ezraklein, @edbott, @mattyglesias, @alex, @loganjaffe, @martinsfp, @lollardfish, @markberman, @scottnover, @parkermolloy, @ceciliakang, @mat, @nicdawes, @slpng_giants, @jamesrbuk, @jeffjarvis, @taylorlorenz and @taylorlorenz
Discussion:
Glenn Greenwald / @ggreenwald: One of the first journalists with a big corporate outlet to leave for Substack is @cwarzel: trumpeted as the test case for whether writers at places like NYT really have their own audience who will follow & pay to read, or if they need a big institution. Off to a very slow start: https://twitter.com/...
German Lopez / @germanrlopez: This is a good summary by @cwarzel of why social media can be terrible. https://warzel.substack.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Tom Scocca / @tomscocca: Assume he means “one of the first journalists with a big corporate outlet to leave for Substack [without having a huge self-promotional hissyfit on the way out]” https://twitter.com/...
Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel: I reget to inform you I blogged about Glenn making fun of me for not having as many newsletter subscribers as him. Luv 2 b online! https://warzel.substack.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel: Glenn has owned me for being poor for leaving the nyt (which he hates!) to start my own thing. but on the plus side at least i'm no longer a part of the upper class intellectual profession so i'm allowed to complain now probably! https://twitter.com/...
Mike L. Goodman / @them_l_g: I think the Substack as a company part gets a lot of attention (and I find it fascinating). But more interesting is probably writers trying to figure out a way to escape the one big economy of scale of internet attention. https://twitter.com/...
B-Boy Bouiebaisse / @jbouie: @RottenInDenmark this is so good and gets to what i actually find really valuable about being at the times — i can just do my work and let that speak for itself without chasing anything in particular
Michael Hobbes / @rottenindenmark: I generally think substack is fine and there's massive problems with ad supported media too. It's just worth keeping in mind that this model feeds on attention. The Put-Upon Truth Teller is wildly more lucrative for subscriptions than, like, the quietly diligent reporter.
Michael Hobbes / @rottenindenmark: This is good. A real issue with the shift to subscription models is that it incentivizes constantly posing as if you're under attack. Subscribers don't necessarily think of themselves as paying for a service as much as supporting a cause. https://warzel.substack.com/ ...
Katie MacBride / @msmacb: This is what journalism needs. Immediate subscribe https://twitter.com/...
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: Substack's most significant achievement to date is getting people to rename newsletters as substacks. e.g. “So and so just launched her new Substack on pick-your-topic...”
David Sirota / @davidsirota: @ggreenwald I agree with this, with a caveat. I think people like @NYTDavidBrooks only have any following because a corporate outlet gives them a platform, not because of their writing. If they went indy, they'd probably fail to find an audience. BUT - I think @cwarzel is different & better.
Glenn Greenwald / @ggreenwald: @davidsirota @nytdavidbrooks @cwarzel Yes, he's better than David Brooks (low bar). As I said, I think he's a good writer. I get why people like him. But he also fit comfortably at the NYT, and all I'm saying is that independent subscription-based platforms will be best for those who don't.
David Sirota / @davidsirota: @ggreenwald @nytdavidbrooks @cwarzel I think that's fair. But there is a distinction: There are a lot of people at the NYT Elitism Factory whose success is predicated on that corporate platform. But...there are at least a few people who happen to be at the Elitism Factory, but do good work & have their own voices.
Lauren Lipsay / @laurenlipsay: @ggreenwald @cwarzel he started THIS WEEK, perhaps it's a little soon for a post-mortem? jesus christ.
Glenn Greenwald / @ggreenwald: I think, ultimately, places devoted to allowing independent voices to thrive - Substack/Patreon - will be most effective for writers offering reporting, perspectives & content that *don't fit comfortably into the NYT/CNN/MSNBC hegemon. Those who want that will go there to get it.
Laura June / @laura_june: Sometimes my work will be quieter but maybe it won't make me and everyone who consumes it feel like dogshit ♥️ good mission. https://twitter.com/...
@delong: ENDORSE!! PLEASE CANCEL ME, GLENN!!!! < https://braddelong.substack.com/ >: Charlie Warzel: The Failing Galaxy Brain: 'There are hundreds of us... HUNDREDS!.... CANCEL ME, GLENN! DADDY IS THINKING ABOUT INVESTING IN SOME NON-IKEA FURNITURE... LINK: <https://warzel.substack.com/ ...>
Sean T. McBeth / @sean_mcbeth: That's not meant to be a criticism, or a gripe. “We were here first”. I don't know any of these people's history. I'm only a casual observer. For all I know, they were there, too. It's more a heartening reminder of the feelings of infinite possibility the internet gave back then
Nick Statt / @nickstatt: A really smart, frankly inspiring rebuttal from @cwarzel to the growing class of extremely online shit slingers dead set on turning everyone not devoted to their cause into their enemy. https://warzel.substack.com/ ...
Sean T. McBeth / @sean_mcbeth: I enjoyed this article, but mention of a Discord server for subscribers gave me a nightmare vision of indie journalist/arcologies wandering the shattered metaverse, doing battle with each other, their followers as a swarm of fleas in their crusted hides. https://warzel.substack.com/ ...
Sean T. McBeth / @sean_mcbeth: In reading a few of these journos here and there, especially some of the beginning posts, I am struck by how much I hear in my head the voices of us children of the Internet, who first put up our phpBBs on shared VPSes and Geocities and LiveJournals and Bloggers, twenty years ago
Sean T. McBeth / @sean_mcbeth: This whole “institutional journalist breaks bad and starts a Substack” thing is fascinating, because it's literally just blogging. It's literally the thing that the NeWsPaPeR industry said could never be relevant, because it was executed and promulgated by the unwashed masses.
Sean T. McBeth / @sean_mcbeth: This is the way the Internet is meant to be. You're not you. You're a webpage, a projection of you that you choose to shape in whatever way you want, not by some corporate guidelines of faux decorum. For those that are new, welcome. For those that were here before, welcome back.
Sean T. McBeth / @sean_mcbeth: “Welcome to <tortured pun of a blog name>. I'm excited to be here. Hope you enjoy. Sign the guestbook.”
Gene Park / @genepark: “slow starts” are good. look at where “move fast, break things” got us. also, journalists are going indie because they're recognizing an audience economy less prone to supporting institutions, and more toward individuals. corporate news branding has never been less important https://twitter.com/...
Kate Aurthur / @kateaurthur: Love this. https://twitter.com/...
Ezra Klein / @ezraklein: “Watching myself as a proxy for an Important Trend offered some good perspective on the shallow nature of most media punditry, where a handful of individual decisions, all made for different reasons, are portrayed as sweeping trends.” This is good: https://warzel.substack.com/ ...
Ed Bott / @edbott: “But it's not part of the internet I want to live on. If it was, I would write posts with headlines like ‘Glenn Greenwald Wets His Diaper Over One NYT Reporter Tweet. Who Will Get Him A Clean Diap?’ and watch the subscriptions roll in.” Subscribed! https://warzel.substack.com/ ...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: Multiple literal lols reading this from @cwarzel — a solid case for independent writing is that it's difficult to be genuinely funny in the pages of a Big Important Institution. https://warzel.substack.com/ ...
Logan Jaffe / @loganjaffe: Yes and esp the next line: “But it's not part of the Internet I want to live on.” I think a lot of people will be/are asking themselves this question more intentfully, in part because of the pandemic: What part of the Internet do I want to live on? How do I live my life? https://twitter.com/...
Martin Sfp Bryant / @martinsfp: “Glenn says he's offering something people don't get elsewhere but the main thing he's supplying — indignant, often peculiarly placed outrage — is everywhere.” https://twitter.com/...
David M. Perry / @lollardfish: “ In this sense, Glenn's blogs don't have to provide much in the way of content — they could be merely a righteous headline followed by grievance Lorem Ipsum.” https://warzel.substack.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Mark Berman / @markberman: “Not having to constantly fight and chase engagement, often by amplifying the people whose opinions I find shitty or straight up abhorrent. Sometimes my work will be quieter but maybe it won't make me and everyone who consumes it feel like dog shit.” https://warzel.substack.com/ ...
Scott Nover / @scottnover: “After being trapped in Glenn's mentions now for a few hours, I can safely say what I'm trying to create is the polar opposite of whatever it is he is doing.” @cwarzel https://warzel.substack.com/ ...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: .@cwarzel is one of my favorite writers https://warzel.substack.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@ceciliakang: subscribe to Charlie i like quiet and powerful writing like his. and i don't like feeling like dog shit. (and the dude making fun of him is hilariously bad) https://twitter.com/...
Mat Honan / @mat: “After being trapped in Glenn's mentions now for a few hours, I can safely say what I'm trying to create is the polar opposite of whatever it is he is doing. ” This is some great @cwarzel https://warzel.substack.com/ ...
Nicholas Dawes / @nicdawes: This from @cwarzel is sort of a minor-key manifesto, which uses a ridiculous provocation to draw distinctions and assert some basic journalism values. https://warzel.substack.com/ ...
@slpng_giants: As someone who was whined at by @ggreenwald just this morning this, by @cwarzel, hits perfectly. It's what I'm coining the Greenwald Conundrum. Do you challenge his incessant bullshit or do you ignore it in favor of not giving him the attention & audience? Probably the latter. https://twitter.com/...
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: A reply to me is included in this newsletter, if anyone would like to commission me for an involved third-party take on the whole affair. https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Brilliantly said, @cwarzel: https://twitter.com/...
Benjamin Toff / Nieman Lab:
Reuters Institute study: trust in media is based more on feelings about news brands and how articles are presented rather than on specific editorial standards — What do people really mean when they say they do not trust the news media? And what can news organizations do to restore trust where it is deserved?
Discussion:
reutersinstitute …, @risj_oxford, @emilythorson, @nicoleblanchett, @jeremyreesnz, @niemanlab, @dragz, @risj_oxford, @rasmus_kleis, Poynter and Nieman Lab
Discussion:
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk: Listening to what trust in news means to users: qualitative evidence from four countries
@risj_oxford: “Editorial processes were rarely central to how people thought about trust. Only a small number in each country expressed confidence in their understanding of how journalism works” Read our new report on how audiences think about trust in news in 🇧🇷🇮🇳 🇬🇧🇺🇸 https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ...
Emily Thorson / @emilythorson: Everyone is obsessed with “media trust” but what does it actually mean? One way to find out: don't just survey people, but also spend some time talking to them. This is an important project. https://twitter.com/...
Nicole Blanchett, PhD / @nicoleblanchett: Really interesting report on trust in news from @risj_oxford, including this finding: “Editorial processes and practices of journalism were rarely central to how people thought about trust” https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ...
@jeremyreesnz: Interesting. Latest Reuters report on trust in media (declining) finds it is not clear what many people mean by “trust”. If people like an outlet's news, they tend to say they trust it. And people's choice of media is often due to family history, https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ...
@niemanlab: Many people remain unaware — and even uninterested — in what makes one news source distinct from their competitors. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Richard Fletcher / @dragz: A summary of our new @risj_oxford report on how people decide what news to trust by @BenjaminToff @KhariBiskut @camilambpp @amyross87, published in @NiemanLab. Some conceptual overlap between journalists and audiences, but also some key differences. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
@risj_oxford: “It may not be enough for brands to establish trust merely on the basis of their journalism or the transparency of their methods because this may only resonate with small, highly engaged audience segments” Our new report featured at @NiemanLab https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen / @rasmus_kleis: “There are opportunities for [news] brands to better, more proactively communicate who they are, what they stand for, and how they” work @BenjaminToff et al writes. Esp because “plenty of opponents with vested interests [will] gladly take up that mantle” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Anne Steele / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Spotify to announce an Apple Podcasts Subscriptions competitor next week that will let podcasters set prices without charging them or taking a cut — Podcasts exploded in popularity during the lockdown and are on track to bring in more than $1 billion in U.S. ad revenue this year
Discussion:
Variety, The Verge, TechRadar, @srussolillo, @freedaaron, @clew_less, ScreenRant, The Wrap, MacRumors, 9to5Mac and AppleInsider
Discussion:
Todd Spangler / Variety: Spotify Is Launching Podcast Subscriptions, and Unlike Apple Won't Take a Cut From Creators
Ashley Carman / The Verge: Spotify reportedly won't take a cut from podcasters who sell in-app subscriptions
David Nield / TechRadar: Spotify's podcast subscriptions tipped to launch next week to take on Apple
Steven Russolillo / @srussolillo: The battle for podcast dominance is on. A pair of announcements this week—Apple's introduction of paid podcast subscriptions & Facebook's new partnership with Spotify—are the latest for a rapidly growing medium that is attracting top talent & top dollar. https://www.wsj.com/...
Aaron Freedman / @freedaaron: My prediction for podcasting is, like with tv, the big content creators (NYT/Serial, NPR, etc) will launch their own proprietary podcast apps, potentially starving the likes of Spotify and Apple (akin to Netflix) of some of the most popular shows. https://www.wsj.com/...
Clew-less / @clew_less: If they're taking no cut, then they're still inserting their ads over your work. Or how else can they try to prop up an unprofitable business? https://twitter.com/...
Sean Burch / The Wrap: Spotify Counters Apple, Will Launch Own Version of Paid Podcast Subscriptions
Tim Hardwick / MacRumors: Spotify Set to Rival Apple Podcasts Subscriptions With New Service That Won't Charge Content Creators
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac: Report: Spotify set to announce competitor to Apple Podcasts subscriptions, but will not take a cut of revenue
William Gallagher / AppleInsider: Spotify to launch rival podcast subscriptions to Apple
Kate Kaye / Digiday:
NYT says that, unlike WaPo, it won't be using cookie-replacing tech like Unified ID 2.0 and is instead interested in exploring contextual ad targeting — As other publishers kick the tires on identity technologies designed to replace third-party cookies, The New York Times is ruling them out.
Discussion:
Megan Graham / CNBC:
Disney says it's sold out of ad inventory for the Oscars on Sunday despite falling ratings; Kantar: a 30-second spot in 2020 was $2.15 million, up 9% from 2019 — - Disney Advertising Sales said it's sold all ad inventory for the 93rd Oscars telecast on Sunday.
Discussion:
Garett Sloane / Ad Age: Brands feel Oscar buzz and Snapchat shines Spotlight on 125 million viewers: Friday Wake-Up Call
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost: Disney Sells Out Oscar Ads, $2M For A 30-Second Spot
Kristina Monllos / Digiday: ‘We still see value in live’: Inside Verizon's Oscars advertising strategy
Washington Post:
Some staff at a think tank called No Labels have objected to its hiring of Mark Halperin, fired in 2017 by NBC and MSNBC after accusations of sexual misconduct — A nonpartisan political organization is facing blowback from its employees after hiring journalist Mark Halperin …
Discussion:
@jayrosen_nyu, @sfpelosi, @dceiver, @authorkimberley, @meredithshiner, @paulwaldman1, @jkarsh, @seungminkim, @laurachapin, @edbott, @clarajeffery, @sarahellison, @yashar, @jbarro and Talking Points Memo
Discussion:
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Born of the proposition that both sides are to blame, an organization called No Labels hired politics-is-a-game pundit Mark Halperin as a consultant, then got blow back from its staff because he was banished for multiple allegations of sexual harassment. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Christine Pelosi / @sfpelosi: Wrong response @NoLabelsOrg! Saying “A small number of our colleagues are still working through how they feel about this” is condescending. It's not about “feelings” it's about facts: No Labels hired an abuser and your brand value will drop - as may their future job prospects. https://twitter.com/...
Jason Linkins / @dceiver: still I love the stated reasoning: “this bargain basement prospect was too good to pass up” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Kimberley Johnson / @authorkimberley: See, the benefit of hiring sexual predators is they work cheap. They may be repulsive and possibly dangerous but you save a buck. https://twitter.com/...
Meredith Shiner / @meredithshiner: Nancy Jacobson has run a toxic workplace at No Labels since it was created and throughout its million rebrands. They burn through people, who are all out there and would/do talk. Also: this story says nothing about what Halperin was even hired to do?! https://twitter.com/...
Paul Waldman / @paulwaldman1: “I know hiring Jared from Subway to do our ads seems like a controversial move, but hear me out — we can get him for an absolute STEAL” https://twitter.com/...
Jason Karsh / @jkarsh: Hahaha, No Labels hired him? It's almost perfect, NL is complete trash. That said, actual perfect would be Halperin never working in politics/political journalism ever again because he's an abusive pig. https://twitter.com/...
Seung Min Kim / @seungminkim: “Jacobson told several people that she could hire Halperin at relatively low cost because he is eager to regain a foothold in the mainstream political world, said people familiar with the discussions.” @farhip @sarahellison https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Laura Chapin / @laurachapin: What the hell is Nancy Jacobson, a former finance chair for the DNC, doing hiring a sexual harasser/abuser? And do none of the women working @NoLabelsOrg have any self respect? Have they forgotten what he did? https://twitter.com/...
Clara Jeffery / @clarajeffery: bet that cost will be higher than she thought https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Ellison / @sarahellison: Mark Halperin's hiring by a political group draws protests from (its mostly female) staffers. From @farhip and me. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Yashar Ali / @yashar: I'm not surprised to learn that @NancyPJacobson, one of the most horrible, vacuous people in politics has hired the horrible Mark Halperin. And thanks to @sarahellison @farhip's reporting we learn she handled concern from women employees with disregard. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Jonathan O'Connell / Washington Post:
Labor Dept. found in 2019 that Alden likely mismanaged $294M of staff pensions by putting them into its own funds; Alden agreed to pull the money and pay $20.7M — Alden Global Capital admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to pull employees' pension money out of its own funds and pay them $20.7 million …
Discussion:
David DeBolt / @daviddebolt: what a bunch of punks and crooks, robbing my friends and lining their own pockets. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Brandon Proia / @brndnpr: Not only is Alden Global Capital one of the most vile & corrosive forces in print media, it also flagrantly mismanages employee pensions. Billionaires, bankruptcy judges, & boards please stop giving newspapers to this terrible and incompetent company! https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Tom Hamburger / @thamburger: More worrisome news for our Tribune colleagues: The hedge fund set to buy Tribune Publishing mismanaged employees' pensions, federal investigators found. Latest via @jocwapo https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Jon Schleuss / @gaufre: The hedge fund that has been destroying local news also improperly invested employee retirement savings into its own funds https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Matthew Kassel / Jewish Insider:
Interview with Sharon Waxman, founder and CEO of The Wrap, on streaming services dominating Oscar nominations, diversity in HFPA, and growth at The Wrap — As the streaming industry has taken off during the pandemic, The Wrap, Waxman's entertainment industry website, has grown along with it
Discussion:
Matthew Kassel / @matthewkassel: Waxman's first big piece, in 1996, exposed the Golden Globes's Hollywood Foreign Press Association as an overhyped group of amateur journalists with little film expertise working for “small publications” in Lithuania and Bangladesh." Recommended! https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Sharon Waxman / @sharonwaxman: Thanks @J_Insider and @MattKassel for a great piece. You definitely captured the moment we're in - a time of disruption and opportunity. https://twitter.com/...
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
Russia labels Latvia-based independent Russian-language news outlet Meduza as a foreign agent: it will have to label itself as such and be subject to scrutiny — The Russian government has designated the Latvia-based independent Meduza news outlet as a foreign agent …
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:
Malcolm Gladwell's new book is part of Pushkin Industries' push into being a major provider of highly produced audiobooks with original scores and archival tape — The author's company uses sound effects and original music. ‘We think with our eyes and feel with our ears.’
Discussion:
@wsj: Podcasts aren't the only audio format that's been booming. Publishers are capitalizing on exploding audiobook sales with titles conceived as sound projects first, with print an afterthought. https://www.wsj.com/...
David Marcelis / @david_marcelis: Have you ever said “the audiobook was better”? That may change after you read @JeffreyT1's fantastic piece on on a little-known publishing-industry trend: https://www.wsj.com/...
Jeffrey Trachtenberg / @jeffreyt1: Malcolm Gladwell's newest book was conceived as an elaborately produced audiobook, complete with sound effects and original music. Print and ebook editions were secondary considerations. https://www.wsj.com/...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: Malcolm Gladwell's newest book was conceived as an elaborately produced audiobook, complete with sound effects and original music. Cool story from @JeffreyT1 https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
Allegations of harassment and exploitation, including poor remuneration, at Jake Paul's collab house point to the need for laws to safeguard child influencers — A look behind the scenes at life in the Team 10 house. — In the vast world of YouTube villains, there may be none as famous as Jake Paul.
Discussion:
Webb Chatham Report, dexerto.com, @lorakolodny, @taylorlorenz, @annolivarius, @teddyamen, @out5p0ken, @leonyin, @youdoingtoomuch, @taylorlorenz, Paula's Newsletter, @marlownyc, @kattenbarge, Big Mad 😡, Dirt, @saracorquers, @taylorlorenz, @taylorlorenz, @taylorlorenz, Mic, Insider and The Wrap
Discussion:
Joe Craven / dexerto.com: Jake Paul responds to sexual assault allegations from former Team 10 member
Lora Kolodny / @lorakolodny: Jake Paul Promised Them Fame. Was It Worth the Price? https://www.nytimes.com/... “accused Mr. Paul of sexual assault. The incident, she said, involved forced oral sex and took place at the Team 10 house in 2019.” Imagine if this sh*t happened on Real World / Road Rules set?
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: It's very telling that many of the people in my mentions who have been the most dedicated to dismissing the very well documented experiences of the brave creators who spoke up for this story are VCs/business people, not the average 9 yr old Jake Paul fans https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dr. Ann Olivarius / @annolivarius: New platform, same old story: Guy gets away w sexual assault and exploiting underage workers because of zero accountability from investors or audience. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Teddy Amenabar / @teddyamen: “People see these mansions and they see people living like royalty, but no one knew I was sleeping on the floor or I didn't have food.” One to read from @TaylorLorenz https://www.nytimes.com/...
Outspoken / @out5p0ken: Jake Paul is racist — has been charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly and believes Covid is a hoax. He encourages the younger generation on his YouTube channel to forego an eduction to be an influencer We don't need more of him, thanks. https://twitter.com/...
Leon Yin / @leonyin: This new @TaylorLorenz piece illustrates the power dynamic between an adult influencer w/ many followers and underaged “employees” who've been exploited, bullied, and assaulted. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mani / @youdoingtoomuch: Why do parents do these things? The parents need their ass beat bc I'm not expecting anything from Jake Paul to begin with. https://twitter.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: One member of Jake Paul's Team 10 house was just 14 years old when he moved in. His experience as a teenage creator is a cautionary tale for anyone with kids seeking to enter the creator industry. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Paula Sanderson / Paula's Newsletter: What makes good Reality-TV 📺 — So last week I told you I had news …
Marlow Stern / @marlownyc: A must-read @TaylorLorenz piece about all the toxicity, from sexual assault allegations to financial shenanigans, surrounding the absurdly popular Jake Paul https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kat Tenbarge / @kattenbarge: Incredible Team 10/Jake Paul investigation just dropped from @TaylorLorenz. It includes multiple accusations of sexual assault, including a woman who said Jake called her “jailbait” and groped her when she was 17 and he was 20. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lyle Morrison / Big Mad 😡: BIG MAD - People Beating Each Other Up For Money (4.23.21)
Sara McCorquodale / @saracorquers: Amazing piece by @TaylorLorenz. I am amazed investors have bankrolled influencers like Jake Paul and David Dobrik. Are they dazzled by fame and choosing not to do due diligence? Or perhaps they see their audience size and just don't care https://www.nytimes.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: Despite everything, Jake Paul's venture fund has attracted high-profile investors in Silicon Valley, and he has made a successful foray into sports. Top TikTok stars have been promoting him on their social channels. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: Members of Team 10 were electrically shocked without warning and faced pressure to jump from the mansion's roof into a pool. They allege bullying, harassment, and exploitation. Two women allege sexual misconduct. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: Former members and staff of Team 10, an influencer collective and collab house founded by Jake Paul in 2016, described bullying, harassment, exploitation of young creators. Two other women creators allege sexual misconduct. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kara Weisenstein / Mic: More damning proof Jake Paul is the worst
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